theid 60s. across much of virginia in the mid 60s. most of maryland mid and upper 60s right now, as well as right near the bay, right near the waters it's inthe low 70s this morning. and on the eastern shore, away from the water temperatures are generally in the 60s. at the atlantic behes and around virginia's tidewater it's near 70 degrees. it's a balmy start to this thursday morning. this first full day of astronomical autumn. that's the point wher the earth and it's orbit around the sun has now reached the crossing point where the earth's shadow is directly north and south across the planet, as we approach dawn, and that earth's shadow right now is over the central atlantic. and i will be approaching us, and we'll have thesunrise coming up this morning later and later. it's around 7:00 in the morning. over the last 12 thundershowers we've had the overnight showers dissipate and we've got a weak area of high pressure now in place from new england all the way down to georgia and that

southerly andsouthwesterly flow around that high is going to be warming things up today. we should be making it into the low 90s. the record is 98. and tn tomorrow we may be near or breaking the record. record is 94. we may be right near that by midafternoon. then finally, things get more reasonable, but still warmer than arage on saturday. sunday some clouds around. there's a small chance of a passing power on sunday, with an east and southeterly flow. we'll take a look into next week coming up. let's check traffic now on this thursday morning. jerry, how's it looking? >> good morning, everyone. looking pretty goods we get going. lots of overnight oadwork including this stretch 6 the capital beltway on theva side. travel around the dulles toll road. a couple of las closed in the overnight hours. and there has been a couple of complete closures. most of the roadwork should be picked up. i don't see too many construction barrels left. let's head over to maryland along i-270. right now lanes are open, any

overnight roadwork including those closure as you had through montgomery down towards the split should be all picked up. >> all right, thank you. this morning family and friends are mourning the loss o a navy s.e.a.l. killed in afghanistan. brendan looney died in a helicopter crash monday. he went to the navalcademy and graduated from dematha high school. craig melvin spoke with his former football coach. >> this is as sad it gets. >> reporter: john morgan has been at dematha since 1956. he saw brendan looney's father come through, then all three of the looney boys. >> they lived by the rules, played hard. tough, irish kids. >> reporter: for decades mooreland was principal. when he retired he beca one of the football coaches and remembersumber 10. >> you don't want to get hit by him on a football field. he was a free safety. he would demolish people coming through t line. >> reporter: dematha's head coach bill mcgregor was on the practice field when his wife

called. >> she's on t phone and she's crying like a baby, kind of hard to understand what she was saying. she said, you know, brendan looney was killed in the helicopter crash in afghanistan. >> reporte looney was one of the nine who died when their black hawk helicopter crashed in southern afghanistan yesterday. the u.s. government says it was an accident. his football coaches it's the type of sacrifice that defined looney's life. >> he was a young man that would do anything you asked him to do and then som >> reporter: after graduating from dematha as an honor student in 1999, brendan looney went to the prestigious naval academy. there, like hi two brothers, he became a stand-up lacrosse player. he graduated in 2004 and got married in 2008. he wanted to become a navy s.e.a.l. he became one. he and his new wife were stationed in san diego when he was deployed overseas. >> in my eyes and i think in t eyes of all our community he is more than just a hero. we look at him as a superhero. >> reporter: wednesday night

dozens had gathered at brendan looney's house in silver springs to wcome a hero's family home. they spent the afternoon at dover air force base waiting on their son's casket. i talked to one of brendan looney's brothers as they gathered wednesday night and he told me that the family would be making funeral arrangements thursday morning. craig melvin, news 4. disturbing news this morning about the threat terror groups are posing to the united states. three of the country's top counterterrorism officials told the senate committee that the threat from al qaeda and other groups has grown more complex. national counterterrorism center director, homeland security secretary janet napolano and fib director robert mueller told the committee tat al qaeda has inspired oer terror groups, including homegrown terrorists. they warn that terrorism groups were also hoping to recruit americans or other westerners who can fly under the radar. they point to several recent incidents, including the attempted times square bombing. well, if you take metro to

the penton you can expect to see some charges to the security procedures at that station next week. beginning on monday you'll have to deal with a new pedestrian traffic pattern near the pentagon's main visitor entrance. employee checkpoints will be farther away from the building for most of the day on weekdays. there will be signs alerting commuters to the changes. the changes are all in response to that shooting earlier this year that wounded two security guards and left the gunman dead. aew health carereform bill kicks in today. the obama administration patients bill of rights passed congress back in march. now six months later some of the changes could affect your insurance coverage. nbc's tracee potts is on capitol hill to break down what's new. >> now i can fus on my heal instead of focusing on how am i going to pay to get better? >> reporter: starting today, health insurers can no longer impose lifetime limits or deny children with pre-existing conditions. preventive care, checkups, must be covered. >> that should save us all a lot

of money. >> reporter: and adults who stay on their parents' insurance until they're 26 years old. new provisions that president obama calls the most important patients bill of rights in our nation's history. >> they're designed to make sure that you have basic protection in your interactions with your insurance company. that you're getting what you pay for. >> reporter: republicans say it's not that simple. >> premiums may go down slightly, however copayments, and deductibles will go up. >> access to care goes down because you've got more people and fewer doctors seeing patients. >> reporter: republicans are vowing to repeal health reform as part of a 21-page pledge america they'll announce today. it includes tax cuts for everyone, including the rich, business tax brea ending bailouts, cutting government spending back to 2008 levels, tough border patrols, and fully funding missile defense. the party hopes that will be their wiing agenda in november. from washington, i'm tracie

potts, "news 4 today." >> as just mentiod house republicans will formally promise to repeal the health care law, something they're calling a pledge to america. gop lawmakers will unveil itat a hardware sto in sterling, virginia. it sretches far beyond just health care, too. the initiative promises to cut taxes, federal spending and require a vote on any regulation that would cost more than $100 million a year. the pledge to america also calls for a ban on federalunding for abortion. 4:37 is your time now. ahead on "news 4 today," the president shifting his focus from issues at home. a live report on his major speech this morning. plus, local police department looking for a sly crook who was caught on tape. the latest on the search for the man they're calling the preppy burglar. >> and next the car dar officially says fall but it will feel like summer today. your weather and traffic are

4:40. it is73 degrees. a warmer start to the morning. we had a hot day yesterday, tom. >> the good news, though, this type of a heat wave this type of year only lasts for a couple of hours in the middle part of the afternoon. unlike summer heat waves where it's hot from like 11:00 in the morning all the way until 8:00 in the evening. it only lasts for a couple of hours by midafternoon. it will spike up into the 90s again today. right now off to a summery start. it's in the 60s in the suburbs and rural areas. it's in the low to mid 70s in washington and right now the water. highs tay climbing into the

low 90s with lots of sun. mid 90s tomorrow. that will be near-record heat. and then, cooler, dry front coming through on saturday with his in the mid 8s. and then on sunday, we'll have our wind shifting into the east and southeast, and that will bring in some clouds, and a small chance of a passing shower, cooler weather,too, 50s in the morning, afternoon highs mid 70s. a look into next week in ten minutes. jerry, good morning. how's the traffic? >> tom, good morning. nd we're doing fine so far. most of the major interstates still have overnight roadwork at a couple of spots. checking out i-270 now, frederick to germantown, gaiptersburg and rockville pretty light volume of traffic. looks like lanes reopen southbound. there may still be constrtion going on northbound. elsewhere, e capital beltway as you travel the inner loop from i-95/66. a lot of overnightroadwork, including some complete closures of the beltway, forcing a detour. most of that should be wrapped up, there's also construction, 66 eastbound headed towrd the

capital beltway. the ramp to the outer loop has been blocked. that should be wrapped up just about any time. we'll stay on top of it. >> all right, rry, thank you. >> time now is 4:42. still to come the proposed plan to he's congestion on a major stretch of highway in virgia. >> plus a major recall of a popular baby formula. >> and next an update on the survivors of that tragic fire that killed three people, including two children. [ malannouncer ] antiques can be nice.

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time now for a check of the morning's top stories. d.c. school's chancellor michelle rhee could learn whether d.c. mayor nominee jim gray wants to keep her in her job. and he could learn whether she even wants to stay. they're expected to meet today to talk about her future gray has criticized rhee in the past. local navy s.e.a.l. brendan looney died servicing his country. he was one of the service members killed in a helicopter crash in afghanistan monday. loey went to the naval academy

and graduated from dematha high school. certain parts of the new health care bill begin today. under the bill of ghts, adult children can be covered under their parents' insurance plan until they turn 26 years old. also insurers cannot drop you when you get sick or because you make a mistak on your coverage application. ey also cannot set annual or lifetime limits. president obama will continue his round of speeches at the united nations today at 10:00 a.m. today he will focus on his administration's efforts over the past 20 months to assert the united states' leadership and build international coalitions at the u.n. yesterday, president obama unveiled a new u.s. global development policy. one that will demand accountability from america, and the countries it trying to help. it says the policy will put more emphasis on using diplomacy, trade and other resources to lp countries. >> now let me be clear. the united states of america has been and will remain the global leader in providing assistance. we will not abandon those who

dependon us for life-saving help, whether it's food, or medicine. we will keep our promises, and honor our commitments. >> tomorrow the president will wrap up his trip to new york by attending a meeting on sudan to discuss international efforts to ersee next year's referendum in that troubled country. now to the gulf oil disaster and its potenti health effects. doctors, scientists and public health experts will launch a study looking at the possible long-term physical and psychological effects o those who -- on those who cleaned up the massive oi spill. the committee will conduct their research at the national institutes of health in bethesda. bp is contributing $10 million to that study. searchers hope to get some 27,000 people to participate. new information this morning in that broad daylht murder of a woman at a greenbelt apartment complex. police have ideaed the victim as jacquelyn ann bass. she was murdered at her

greenbelt road apartment on tuesday. police y the 49-year-old was suffering from trauma to her upper body but they would not sa exactly what injuries she had. police have not reased information on a possible suspect. anyone with information in this case is asked to call crime solvers at 1-88-411-tips. virginia is scheduled to carry out its first execution of a woman in nearly a century. teresa lewis is scheduled to die by lethal injection tonight at the greensville correctional center. she is guilty of hiring two men to kill her husband and stepson in order to collect a $250,000 insurance payment. on tuesday, the u.s. supreme court refused to block her execution, and virginigovernor bob mcdonnell has declined two requests for clemency from her attorneys. this morning three children are recovering after escaping a deadly house fire in virginia. their mother died along with her two other children. she tried desperately to save them all. the fire started around 8:00 yesterday morning in a home on

hagel circle in norn. jackie bensen has more. >> reporter: it is such an awful sight. the burned out townhouse in virginia where a mother and her two children died. witnesses say flames were shooting from every window, as firefighters arried about 8:30 a.m. >> i heard a man screaming, screaming, screaming. >> reporter: neighbors sayhe mother frantically lowered a babygirl, and a 6-year-old, and an 8-year-old, both boys, to her brother, who also lives in the house. >> the kids told me that they jumped out the window. i talkedo them, they told me they jumped out the window and the mom threw the baby out the window to the uncle. >> reporter: the complex known as the highla is the type of place where children play together and pople know their neighbors. the loss is devastating, and all the more painful because it is believed the unit had been without electricity for ateast two days for reasons unknown. >> i think it might have been maybe they fell asleep with candles lit or something. >> how do you know that?

because i was with her last night, and i took her to the store to buy candles because they didn't have electric. >> reporter: a spokesperson for dominion virginia powerould not discuss the clients' payment status but noted the company makes great efforts to help customers keep their power connected. fire officals say the first engine was on the scene in about three minutes after the first 911 call, but by then the house was already engulfed in flames. >> they tried to go through the upstairs window with fire coming out of the window. and they did get inside. they did get to pull one child outside that windo and t to resuscitate her. >> reporter: neighbors are planning a vigil to pray for those who survived, and those who were lost. jackie bensen, "news 4 today." a warning to parents this morning as your kids head out to school. remind them to drive carefully. this after a hrificcrash involving two teens in prince george's county that may have involved racing. that crash happened in the 3100 block potter mill road in

beltsville. prince george's county police say the driver lost control around a curve, veered into oncoming traffic, then h a guardrail and then another car. police think they were racing. the teens were seriously injured, but are expected to survive. police say the students -- police say they are students at high point high school. parents listen up, a very important product recall for u. the makers of a popular powdered infant formula is voluntarily recalling 5 million cans nationwide after etles and larva were found in some cans. these are two types of containers of similac being recalled. the food and drug administration says the contamited similac poses no immediate health risks, but infants who drink the affected formula could get stomachaches. none of the company's liquid formulas is affected >> i have a stomachache just hearing that. >> yuck, i know. >> let's get a look at our forecast now. tom has joined us once again. going to be a summerlike day on

this first full day of fall. >> only a portion of the afternoon. most of the day should be comfortable. we're off to a comfortable art. good morning, i'm tom kierein, the big, bright, full moon is getting down into the western sky with jupiter next to it and it's flooding our ski with a little bit of silvery moonlight you can see there in rouding the national washington monument there and the national mall. right now 74 at national airport. and the dew point is up to 67. that's rher humid. we've got a light breeze this morning. elsewhere, temperatures are on the mild side on this thursday morning. 60s, shenandoah valley through the atlantic beaches. mid0s, arlington, fairfax, montgomery county. right near the bay, temperatures a bit milder. away from the waters and eastern shore, upper 60s. around virginia tide waters in the low 70s. in themountains, a few locations have dipped into the 50s. showers and thunderstorms that came through last night, they're now dissipated. got a weaker high pressure holding rt that's going to

give us a pleasant day today, but it will be warming up. we do have a disturbance in the caribbean that's drifting off to the west. and this is now tropical depression lisa. really it's kind of falling apart. but it may reform as a tropical storm. but again, stay out in the atlantic and not cause any problems for anywhere in the united states. well, here's how things are looking for us today. lots of sunshine. highs reaching the low 90s for just a cple of hours by midafternoon. thenight back down into the 80s by late afternoon and 70s this evening with just half full moon up and then by dawn tomorrow near 70. another hot afternoon tomorrow for a few hours. it will be in the mid 90s. record high tomorrow is 94. so we may break it. then on saturday, a dry front coming in from the north and west to cool things down. and we'll have it much cooler on sunday with an easterly flow in the 70s and some clouds around, as well on monday, tuesday and wednesday and a small chance of showers each one of those days. how is the traffic now, jerry? >> smooth sailing so far, both directions on the woodrow wilson bridge. right side the inner loop, left

side the outer loop. no concerns there. we have a report of an accident on the beltway, inner loop 5 ere authorities are headed over right now. elsewhere the rushour picks up a little volume, making the drive into town, new york avenue doing fine as the overght roadwork should be just about wrapped up and the major roadways to the southeast looking good. >> thank you very much, jey. well, are you one of the thousands of aa drivers who have spent hoursittinin gridlock on i-66 even when it is not rush hour? we may have some good news for you. transportation officials are thinking of opening shoulder lanes more often. those lanes are open during the rush hour but traffic is often just as bad during the ofeak hours, as you know. officis are also considering the idea of high occupancy toll lanes, as well as a new rail line to ease some of the congestion. 4:53 is your time now. 72 degrees. coming up, an unexpected windfall. hundreds of millions of dollars discovered in virginia. >> plus it looks innocent enough

but police say it's all for show. the man they're calling the preppy burglar. caught on tape. >> plus what gilbert arenas has been told not to talk about by the head of the nba. >> and next, facebook's overwhelming display of generosity.

the partner of facebook is giving a hefty donation to new jersey's largest city school system.

newark will get $100 million from mark zuckerberg. the city's troubled school system is run by the state and has some of new jersey's lowest test scores and poorest graduation rates. the formal announcement about the gift was expected tomorrow. you know how great it is when you find $5 in your pocket you didn't know about? well it appears theot did just that. virginia governor bobby donnell is expected to announce today that a new audit of v-dot found hundreds of millions of doars in unspent money. before you get too excited about this, democrats are expected to argue that state law prevents the money from being spent because it has to be pooled from all revenue sources. despite the new purple line this afternoon montgomery county leaders will see the first designs for a new entrance to the bethesda metro station. the new southern seine trance would also lead to that purple line. the line would connect bethesda and carrollton metrorail stations. it would be a 16-mile east/west

extension. there would also be new lines for the capital trail. gilbert arenas' suspension is over and apparently so is talk of the gun incident that led to that suspension in the first place. nba commissioner david stern reportedly spoke to arenas earlier this wee and told him not to talk about the infamous gun dispute he had with a teammate in the locker room last decber. arenas was suspended for 50 games as a result of the incident, and was sentenced to one month in a halfway house. he did tell arenas that he is exced to have him back in the lead. howard county police are asking for your help in identifying a man they're calling the preppy burglar. the well-dressed thief was caught on camera breaking into a home in the 7600 block of browns bridge road ten days ago. the suspect stolesmall electronics and other propty. ifou have any information about the so-called preppy burglar, police are offering a reward of up to $500 for information leading to his arrest. call the tip line at

410-313-7867. >> we have an update on a story you saw on "news 4 today." a suspected hoarder evicted from her district home now has her belongings stored in a safe place, and not on the street. louisa diaz says she was kicked out of her home monday night and all of her belongings were put on the street. she saidshe fell behind on her rent because she can't find work in this tough economy. after her story aired there was an outpouring of support from the community. a moving company volunteered and oved some of her stuff, and some people even offered her a job. stay with us now. "news 4 today" continu at 5:00 a.m. feeling the heat? we'll be approaching some record highs over the next couple of days. >> plus let's talk. the much anticited m